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Archive for the ‘Education’ Category

For Thursday’s Natural Beauty class, two mother-daughter groups joined Elinor and Winfield Burks, Linda Norred and her mother Jane Salsbury and Teresa Roberts and her mother Betty Carraway, who was in town from Louisiana. Linda visited The Gardens last year and knew it would be the perfect place to visit with her mom, aunt and cousin on their all girls Mother’s Day trip to Birmingham.

On May 6, 3rd grade students at Avondale School visited The Gardens to take part in Discovery Field Trips. Mr. and Mrs. William “Bill” Barnes provided a picnic lunch for the group. Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have adopted classes at Avondale School, and each year, they welcome their students, teachers and parents for a complimentary lunch at The Gardens following their visit for Discovery Field Trips.

Mr. Barnes talked to the students about the rewards that can come from hard work in school years, and the lunch was to reward students for a year of accomplishments and to encourage them to give their best to their future education. In addition, he congratulated the teachers and principal, Dr. Ann Curry, for their leadership.

Executive Director and CEO Fred Spicer encouraged students to study hard in science and math to lead them to promising careers in upcoming science and technology fields.

Education Activities Specialist Dawn Coleman, Donor Relations Officer Drew Rickel and Education Program Coordinator Ellen Hardy also showed their support from The Gardens.

Rotary Club of Birmingham’s Margaret Debardeleben congratulated students and teachers on their new playground which was recently made possible by Rotary Club of Birmingham.

Community Garden Coalition for Birmingham and Birmingham Botanical Gardens again partnered to bring Alabama’s longest-running Earth Day celebration to Alabama’s largest living museum on April 26. Several vendors and exhibits were on display in the Formal Garden in front of the newly renovated Conservatory.

Smith Middle School is the latest to take part in The Gardens’ Plants: Inside Out! Discovery Field Trips program for middle schools students. Seventh graders from Ms. Henderson’s science class and Ms. Giles’s reading class visited The Gardens this week to explore.

To learn how your class can take advantage of our FREE, curriculum-based science education programs, visit The Gardens online.

The free Lunch and Learn series continued on Wednesday, as William Randle led participants in “Eat Your Yard,” a look at how to incorporate fruits, vegetables and herbs into existing landscapes. The series will continue on April 9 as Cameron Strouss leads “Medicinal Gardening.” Each Lunch and Learn takes place from 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. at The Gardens, and participants are encouraged to bring a lunch to enjoy while the lecture is ongoing. Desserts and drinks are provided, and each session is free.

The free Lunch and Learn series returned on March 26, as Mike Rushing led participants in “Trees and Shrubs,” a look at how planting in the right place at the right time makes all the difference. The series will continue on April 9 as Cameron Strouss leads “Medicinal Gardening.” Each Lunch and Learn takes place from 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. at The Gardens, and participants are encouraged to bring a lunch to enjoy while the lecture is ongoing. Desserts and drinks are provided, and each session is free.

On Thursday, Discovery Field Trips welcomed docents for Plants: Inside Out! its new middle school program. Thirteen volunteers participated, five of which were part of a partnership with UAB professor Dr. Julie Price, a member at Birmingham Botanical Gardens and a past Junior Board president. Dr. Price is teaching a semester long environmental science class, and part of their course requirement is to volunteer 20 hours with a local environmental organization.

This Thursday, four of these volunteers will have their first outing with Arlington School of Birmingham.

Recently, at AL.com, we shared our George Washington Carver Garden, a unique space which has allowed Birmingham children to learn about the discoveries of one of Alabama’s most prolific native sons. Through Discovery Field Trips, Birmingham students have an opportunity to explore crops hands-on. Today at The Gardens Blog, we share more photos from the field trip.

Students from 1st – 6th grade are invited to take part in this Discovery Field Trip, which is offered from September until November from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Transportation is provided for Birmingham City Schools through the Junior League of Birmingham It’s provided for Bessemer City Schools through Vulcan Materials Foundation. Teachers can learn more about this and all Discovery Field Trips at The Gardens website, where they can also learn how to plan an educational opportunity for their own class.

The Urban Forestry Fair was held this week at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham. Staff and volunteers from Birmingham Botanical Gardens were on hand to teach students about the life cycle of trees, specifically oak trees. Two activities, “Tree Cookies” and “Freedom Oaks,” were led.

“Tree cookies” teaches students about determining the age of a fell or living tree by counting the annual rings. Each student received a small hardwood cookie to decorate as a name tag. The students then planted a germinated White Oak seedling collected in October from a local community. They discussed the life cycle of an oak tree.

The students participating were 4th and 5th grade students from Birmingham City Schools.